A Day Without Dragons
by animalsarepeopletoo
Summary: After Hiccup realizes how dependent the Riders are on their dragons, he suggests the two groups separate for a day. Who knew how much the Riders actually relied on their ferocious friends?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! I'm back again. I just couldn't stay away. This was SUPPOSED to be a one-shot, but... well, I can really drag things out! And, plus, I think this particular story would work better as a multi-chapter.**

 **I'm thinking this is going to be about three chapters that are all pretty short. I'm not sure if I'll be able to post tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure in two days!**

 **A Day Without Dragons is based on this generation's reliance on technology. Phones. Computers. iPads. _Everything._ When the power goes out... *shudders* Gosh, we all think the world is ending or something! So, I thought I'd incorporate that into this for laughs.**

 **Well, enjoy the story, everyone! Thanks for viewing!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Hiccup swiped his brow, then adjusted his goggles. "Alright; light it up, bud."

On his rider's command, Toothless shot a low plasma blast at Hiccup's metal creation. When the thing was hot enough, Hiccup picked it up with a pair of prongs and dipped it inside a water barrel. He heard a familiar hiss as the water embraced the sudden heat and tried to neutralize it.

He smiled at Toothless. "Thanks, buddy. Hopefully, this time will work…"

Hiccup had been trying to work on a new invention for days. This contraption was supposed to be able to soften dragon-proof metal so the Riders' dragons could melt chains in case they needed to. That was one of the biggest problems the teens faced when they were up against the Dragon Hunters. Hiccup called the metal thing the Alleviator- something that would soften something as harsh as dragon-proof metal.

He pulled his invention from the water again. It was still sizzling, and he had to set it on a towel to not burn himself.

"Well, I'm going to have to get Meatlug's Gronckle iron to finish this," said Hiccup, turning to the exit of his hut. "Fishlegs will be excited to hear about this. You want to come, bud?"

At Toothless's rumble, Hiccup smiled and opened the door. He was surprised at what he saw.

"For the love of- _guys_!" he yelled, pointing at a pile of boulders in front of his hut. "Who did this? Ruff? Tuff?"

He heard cackling from above him and looked up to see the twins laughing at him from their dragon.

"Your face was like, _woah_!" chortled Tuff. "And then it got all mad and stuff, and it was really funny. But, I must admit, it wasn't _all_ my sister and I's doing…" He patted Belch. "These guys helped. A little."

Barf and Belch squawked indignantly.

"Fine," said Tuff in a mocking voice. "You moved the _boulders_. Big deal!"

Hiccup heard a gasp, then a groan. Fishlegs waddled up, looking aghast at the ruins he took in.

"Ruff! Tuff!" he cried, making crazy motions with his hands. "I was _working_ here on some _very_ important designs! And you- you _crushed_ it!" Fishlegs huffed again. "Meatlug! Daddy needs you to help move these rocks." He glared at the twins, not even bothering to hide his distress.

The Gronckle came up to his rider and started to eat a few of the boulders. Fishlegs allowed a tiny smile as the rubble cleared. "Thanks, girl." He hugged his friend, then stepped back so she could work.

"What's going on here?" Astrid's voice said. Hiccup pivoted to see the girl and her dragon landing.

"Another one of Ruff and Tuff's pranks," he replied.

Astrid sighed. " _Another_ one? Do they ever give up?" She shot a glower towards the culprits of the mess, then said, "Stormfly, spineshot- but just to scare them."

Stormfly cawed, then aimed her tail towards Ruff and Tuff and fired. The spine embedded itself in a building right next to Tuff's face. He let out a cry as he saw that he had nearly avoided being impaled.

Astrid smirked at Tuff's alarmed expression. She scratched Stormfly's chin in acknowledgement. "Good job, girl." Hiccup, however, was not as happy. Though he was just as irritated at Tuff and Tuff's antics, he didn't think that the solution to this was violence.

The door to the Clubhouse opened, and Snotlout strode out, Hookfang trailing behind him. The boy was gnawing on a chicken leg and seemingly oblivious to the world.

Tuff nearly fell of his dragon. "No… no… Snotlout, how _could you_?!"

Snotlout froze, just realizing that he wasn't alone. He swallowed a bite of meat. "How could I what?"

"Don't play innocent with me!" said Tuff dramatically. "You know what you did! And it is an _insult_ , you hear me? An insult! You're luck Chicken isn't here right now, or I'd rip off _your_ leg!"

Snotlout held his hands up, eyes wide. "Hey, I didn't mean any harm! And, well- _I_ didn't cook it! Hookfang did! Blame _him_!"

His Nightmare growled at him, clearly wanting to set his rider on fire.

Soon, everyone was bickering. Meatlug was almost done with removing all of the rocks from Fishlegs' work, but he was still angry and yelling at Tuff. Astrid had Stormfly shoot another spineshot near the twins, and Snotlout was trying to convince everyone that everything was Hookfang's fault.

Hiccup realized something. The Riders were getting _very_ dependent on their dragons. Too dependent. Ruff and Tuff used Barf and Belch to wreak havoc on anything and everything when they used to just do it themselves. Fishlegs didn't even bother to try and move the rocks himself, calling Meatlug to help instead. Astrid would've usually threatened people with her axe, not having to rely on Stormfly to scare people away instead. And Snotlout forcing Hookfang to cook even just a little something… well, this was getting out of hand.

And Hiccup had had enough of their arguing.

"QUIET!" he managed to shout, quieting the teens. They all looked surprised to see the Rider yell and actually capture their attention without Toothless's help.

"Guys, do you even hear yourselves sometimes?" he continued. "Fighting over the littlest things! You can be so- so immature at times! I've noticed something else, too. Look at you all, using your dragons for every tiny thing. Do you remember that time before we befriended the dragons when we had to do everything ourselves? No immediately cooked meat. No spine shots. No free rides. Guys… I hate to say it, but… we are getting too dependent on the dragons."

He was met by dead silence. Toothless stared at him with wide green eyes, and Hiccup felt a pang of regret.

"Okay. Riders, I've made a decision," said Hiccup. He didn't want to come to this, but there was really no choice.

"What do you mean, decision?" Astrid spoke up. She was still a little miffed from Hiccup's claim that she had to constantly rely on Stormfly. She was tough, and brave, and strong… she didn't need to depend on anybody! Never… didn't she?

Hiccup sighed. "I mean that I'm going to try and fix this. I suggest… I suggest that- starting tomorrow- we have to live without our dragons. Think of it as- as a training exercise. Say one of us is kidnapped by Ryker or Dagur, or even Viggo. We're not going to have our dragons with us then, so we need to prepare for that situation. We've never before" He looked around. "So, what do you say?"

Snotlout crossed his arms. "I don't _depend_ on Hookfang. I don't need anybody!" He took another bite of his chicken, then spat it out with a look of disgust. "Hookfang! This is _freezing_. Heat it up."

Hiccup gave Snotlout a pointed look. "See? That's what I mean, right there."

"Hiccup," said Astrid, "are you sure that this is a good idea?"

"What, you don't think you can manage without Stormfly?"

Hiccup was only teasing, but Astrid's face reddened, and she scoffed, "No! I can! You know what? Fine, let's do it. One group of dragons, one of Riders. We'll just try and avoid each other."

Toothless nudged Hiccup's side.

"Bud… I'm sorry," Hiccup apologized, scratching the Night Fury's head. "But we need to prepare ourselves for these kind of situations. Plus, do you _really_ want to keep living like this?"

He gestured to Snotlout, who was demanding that Hookfang cook his chicken, then to Astrid, who had made Stormfly shoot another spineshot at Ruff and Tuff. He gave a disdainful look at Fishlegs, who was watching Meatlug eat the rocks or drag them away without helping.

Toothless snorted, dismayed at his fellow dragons' behavior.

"I know, I know. At least we're not like that… right, bud?"

Toothless flapped his tailfin, and Hiccup sighed. "Well… that's… fine, you win. Toothless… I also need your fire for my inventions. Hey- when we split up into the groups, I won't be there to fly you. So how about I give you the mechanical one? You know, the one I tried to give you a few Snoggletogs ago?"

The dragon seemed upset at the memory, but nodded. Hiccup smiled at him, then turned back to the Riders.

"Alright, gang!" he called. "Tomorrow is going to be different. We're going to need to be tough again. Resilient. Smart. Tomorrow… is going to be a day without our dragons."

Snotlout shrugged, unfazed at what Hiccup had just sentenced them all to. "Fine. We don't need them for _everything_. After all, what could possibly go wrong?"

* * *

 **Yeah, Snotlout! What COULD go wrong?**

 **I hope you guys like this so far... I know, I know, slow start. But this is going to be a very funny story, so hang in there!**

 **Please review, like, or follow. I love your feedback more than words can tell!**

 **Also, remember to check for updates! FanFiction has a bug right now that won't send out email alerts that say I updated. It doesn't even say it on the link. Just make sure to look at how many chapters there are before assuming I haven't updated.**

 **Thanks for viewing, guys! See ya next update!**


	2. Chapter 2

**SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING EARLIER. See, I'm on a sort-of sick day, and have been in bed since 10 this morning. It's 8:30. Hmph.**

 **This chapter will be the laughs (finally), so enjoy!**

 **And THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all the reviews, likes, and follows. I was not expecting this to be this popular!**

 **Enjoy Chapter 2!**

* * *

Hiccup yawned, trying to get rid of the remnants of sleep. He hadn't gotten too much rest last night, trying to take advantage of the dragons' fire for his inventions before they were separated.

"You ready for today, bud?" he asked Toothless, who had insisted on sleeping on Hiccup's bed last night. The Night Fury now moaned, not wanting to embrace what was going to go down in just a few minutes.

Hiccup sighed and turned away. "Oh, come on, you useless reptile. The day's got to start sometime."

As Hiccup came over to the door, he heard Toothless jump from his bed and follow him. Hiccup took his dragon's mechanical tail he had propped up by the door and stepped outside.

Most of the other Riders were already waiting. The group included Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruff, and all of their dragons. Hiccup frowned. Where was Tuff? He could usually be found with his sister.

"You're finally up," said Astrid, shifting. She had been a little distant with him ever since his claim last afternoon.

Hiccup smiled faintly. "Sorry. I had to work on Toothless's mechanical tail last night and didn't get to bed till late… Ruff? Where's Tuff?"

Ruffnut crossed her arms. "Beats me. Maybe he decided he didn't want to do this or something."

"No! I'm- I'm here!" they heard Tuff pant, and saw him panting as he ran up. He held Chicken in his arms. "Just had to grab Chicken… with these dragons running around- untamed- who knows what they'll do…" He cast a suspicious look around at the Riders' dragons, stroking his pet.

"Uh. Tuff," said Fishlegs. "You do realize that our dragons are still domestic, even without-"

Tuff moved his hand to mime a mouth closing, cutting Fishlegs off. "Uh-uh! I can't risk my Chicken in the talons of these deceiving monsters."

Astrid, Fishlegs, and Hiccup exchanged glances.

"Erm… alright," Hiccup began. "So, we all know the rules. One day. No dragons. Each group gets one half of the island. And dragons, even if you see that your rider needs help on something, ignore them. If we were still at war with you guys, we'd have to do whatever we needed help with ourselves."

Snotlout snorted. "If we were still at war with dragons, we wouldn't even _be_ here."

Everyone shot him a look.

Hiccup knelt down to face Toothless. "Bud, it's time for the tail. I don't want you to be stranded down here when you could be flying with the others. I know you don't like it, but come on- work with me."

Toothless huffed, backing away.

"Toothless… come here, or no haddock for the rest of the week."

Nothing.

"Toothless, bud. Do it for me."

Still rebellious.

"Toothless…"

Toothless whined and darted away from Hiccup's hands.

"TOOTHLESS!"

Upon hearing his rider's decided cry, Toothless slumped forward, submitting. Hiccup attached the mechanical tail before the Night Fury could change his mind. When Hiccup stepped back, Toothless looked like he wanted to smack it off.

"Can we go already?" sighed Snotlout. "This is getting boring. Well, not like it was ever _interesting_."

Hiccup nodded. "Yes, we can go now. Alright, team, we're going to have this half of the island with the base and everything we built. The dragons can run around the other side of the Edge. We'll meet up again in twenty-four hours." He glanced around. "Everyone ready?"

The Riders all looked set to go, so they called for their dragons to leave, then returned to Hiccup. Toothless hadn't flown off like the rest, instead choosing to pridefully saunter away on foot. Hiccup watched him go with a disappointed exhale.

"I'm a little hungry," said Astrid. "Let's go get some breakfast before we start the day. We always need to be energized."

"Ooh!" Fishlegs came in, looking excited. "Yesterday, my Meatlug and I found a tree that has some fruit on it! I identified it as a Freya fruit tree. So rare! I'd forgotten to tell you. But from what I've gathered from the papers of those who have seen Freya fruit, they taste very delightful! We should head there for breakfast. You know! Try something new."

Hiccup shrugged. "Why not? Lead the way, Fishlegs."

* * *

Fishlegs gradually showed them to a patch of trees near his relaxation spot. The vegetation got taller and taller as they walked. Snotlout began to grumble about how the Clubhouse would've taken much less time to get food from than this.

"Ah!" said Fishlegs as he stopped and gestured to the sky. "Here we are!"

The team looked up to where he was pointing and gaped.

The Freya fruit tree was thirty meters in height, proud and reaching towards the clouds. The Riders couldn't believe it.

Hiccup spied light pink and green fruit nestled in the branches. Fishlegs was right. They _did_ look delicious. Hiccup wouldn't have minded having a piece himself. Well, except there was one tiny fact that stood in the way:

"How are we supposed to get the fruit _down_?" Snotlout broke the silence. He was correct. From how far up their breakfast was, it would be hard to bring it down.

Astrid, who had taken her axe with her, approached the tree. "I'll get it."

With a grunt, she tossed her weapon high in the air. Her aim was spot on and headed right towards the Freya fruit. But it never reached it. The tree was too high for something as heavy as Astrid's axe. It relented to gravity and began to fall. Astrid barely managed to jump out of the way in time before her weapon impaled the earth.

Astrid groaned at her failure. "Son of a _nutcracker_ … gah… Stormfly, spine-" She froze, realizing her Nadder wasn't there to shoot it down for her.

Snotlout crossed his arms. "Well, that failed."

Astrid shot him her famous glare, and Snotlout held up his hands in response.

"You want the fruit? Fine, babe, whatever you want; I'll get it for you."

It was Snotlout's turn to advance the tree. With a last smirk, he turned to the trunk and reached for a branch. He easily pulled himself up. But the trouble came a minute later when he tried to find another foothold. All points were too high for him.

"Hookfang!" he barked. "Give me a boo-"

He, too, cut himself off, coming to the same conclusion as Astrid; their dragons weren't there to aid them, and they'd have to get through this themselves.

The Riders stared at the ground in silence. Hiccup felt embarrassed. He hadn't known they were _this_ helpless.

"I'll try and get it," he offered. "I'm- uh- taller than you Snotlout, and may have more experience with climbing trees. Even with my prosthetic."

Before anyone could stop him, he ran up and began to ascend the bark. His nimble frame found footholds with simplicity, and he gained much more height than Snotlout ever could've.

"Show off," his cousin muttered.

Soon, he reached the fruit. With a grin, he plucked one from its stem. He looked down at his friends, and was startled to find them fairly small from his altitude.

"Milady!" he called to Astrid. "Catch!"

He tossed it down, and Astrid scrambled to snatch the Freya fruit. She caught it in the end, and everyone cheered at the delayed success.

"Who knew it would take that much to get some fruit?" Hiccup heard Tuff wonder.

While he was up here, he decided to get the rest of the Riders their breakfast. Everyone soon had the fruit in hand, and Hiccup knew it was time to go back to his friends.

And then he looked down.

He gulped.

He had known the tree was high… but _this_ high? No. He hadn't expected this. And he didn't have Toothless to bring him down safely.

With another swallow, he tried to make his way back to the ground. It was a lot harder than going up, and he nearly slipped a few times. But he was making it. He smiled. It was okay. He didn't need Toothless for everything. It was all going to turn out-

"Woah!"

His prosthetic slipped off a branch, and a moment later, he was dangling from the tree by his mere arms.

He heard Astrid gasp, "Hiccup!"

The Dragon Conqueror held back a yelp as he tried to latch back onto the trunk. This was… not how he was expecting the day without dragons to play out.

He had been right, to his dismay.

The Riders really couldn't manage life by themselves.

* * *

 **KA-BOOM! TREE-HANGER! I FINALLY DID IT.**

 **I hope you guys are liking the story, and once again THANK YOU, you amazing people for all of your support. I grin like an idiot when someone posts a review or likes or follows. And not many people can do that!**

 **So can the Riders survive the rest of the day? What are the dragons up to? Can Hiccup even get down a tree?**

 **Well, I guess you'll have to find out later!**

 **Until next time, my readers. Thanks for viewing!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I AM NOT DEAD. Just wanted to put that out there because I haven't updated in nearly a WEEK. SO SORRY.  
**

 **I actually am suffering this horrible thing called school. Exams are in a few days... EEEEEE. So nervous. I've been studying and taking quizzes and stuff for the end of the year and barely have any time to write. Yesterday (Saturday) I spent all day doing school. Yep. From nine to six, no break. And you'd THINK that'd I'd be done by now, but... NOPE.**

 **Well, my rant's over now.**

 **Alright. So, be warned: this is a pretty long chapter by this story's standards. About the other two chapters combined! I tend to drag things out... so... sorry. Well, at least more for you to read. And, also, sorry if it seems rushed... I'm trying to do more school in between all of this, too.**

 **OKAY. STOP TALKING, ANI, THEY DON'T WANT TO LISTEN.**

 **Enjoy the final chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Toothless was bored.

He had been alone for most of the morning. Just sitting. Watching. Thinking. Moping.

 _Gods._ He wanted Hiccup.

Grumbling again, he laid his head down and sniffed at the grass. The other dragons had decided to go on a morning flight. Without their riders… well, they didn't have much to do. Usually, they were put to work using their fire, talons, and teeth- things that the Vikings didn't have, yet needed. So that left the dragons with nothing to do. And now, they had all the free time in the world. The question was what to do with that time. It was so… _strange_ to be able to just rest.

As Toothless shifted, he felt his mechanical tail hit the ground. He growled at it.

Toothless could've gone on that flight with the others. He had a working tail now, and certainly enough energy built up to run around. But he just _hated_ that tail.

He had grown to like to depend on Hiccup. In the air, they were one. Not a dragon and a Viking, but a blur in the clouds. Diving and zipping and _zooming_ through air. Slicing the wind. Functioning as a sole creature. _Unstoppable._

Toothless sighed.

 _Hiccup_ …

He wanted to run away and go find his rider. But he was a leader. He would not abandon the task Hiccup had given him. He would see it through till the end of this horrible day. But only for Hiccup.

But that still didn't mean that Toothless wouldn't miss him.

* * *

"I'm _boooooooooorrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeedddddddd_ ," moaned Tuff. "I miss blowing up stuff."

"Wish Barf and Belch were here. We can't make that big of explosions without them," said Ruff with a sigh.

Tuff nodded. "Without them, we only create _minor_ havoc. And, sister, that's not good. Remember that promise we made when we were seven?"

"Of course!" Ruff crossed her arms. "Do as much damage…"

"...with whatever time you have," Tuff finished. "Great words."

The Riders were back on the civilized part of the Edge. It had taken nearly a half hour to get Hiccup down from that tree with some… well… not-so-flattering techniques. The group had agreed that what had happened at the Freya fruit trees would _stay_ at the Freya fruit trees.

Ruff and Tuff were wandering around the Edge, frustrated at the little destruction they were able to impact. Astrid was training with her axe while Snotlout assured her that he could do everything she was doing- he just didn't feel like it today. Fishlegs and Hiccup were at Hiccup's forge working on an invention. It sounded boring to the twins, so they strayed away to look for trouble. They hadn't had much luck yet. If only their Zippleback was-

Suddenly, Tuff was struck with an idea. One so brilliant that it made him beam. He opened his mouth to tell Ruff, but in a moment's decision, he ruled against it.

He couldn't find much of anything to devastate _without_ his dragon… but _with_ …

Tuff could sneak away and go find Belch. Explode a couple of things, call it a day, and come home. Easy! And he knew where the Zippleback was- the other side of the island… yes, yes… this could work!

Now… to get away from Ruff…

"Hey, sis?" he said, stopping.

His twin turned to face him. "What?"

Tuff jerked his head towards his hut. "I just remembered. I promised Chicken that I'd take her on a walk. Silly me, I forgot about it… so I'd better, uh… go… mhm..."

"Chickens don't go on walks."

Alarm bells went off in his mind. _She knows!_

Realizing that he couldn't really get out of this by himself, he sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'm going…. I'm going to go see Barf and Belch."

Ruff's eyes widened. "No way."

Tuff nodded. "I know, I know… Hiccup'll be mad, but…"

"No. That's not what I meant." Ruff grinned at Tuff's puzzled look. "Bro, I had the _same_ idea! Thor… could this be…"

They bonked helmets. " _Twintuition_!"

"No one will even know we're gone!" said Tuff. "It's like we were always here… it's just as devious as we need it to be!"

Their smiles widened. No one would be as clever as them to think of _this_...

* * *

"No, no, no- just a _little_ \- Fishlegs! Not _that_ much!"

"Ooh! Sorry, Hiccup… not used to using fire manually…"

"I… agh, I guess I've grown out of habit, too. It's fine. Let's try this again…"

Hiccup and Fishlegs were trying to finish the Alleviator. But without their dragons' steady stream of fire, it was a little hard. Okay. It was _very_ hard. Fishlegs was ashamed. He knew that he depended a lot of Meatlug's lava, but not _this_ much… oh, he wondered what his girl was doing right now. He missed her. And some of her Gronckle iron would really help with this project…

Fishlegs looked up, startled.

Hiccup was confused at his friend's sudden movement. "What?"

"Oh- um- nothing, Hiccup!" he squeaked, trying to cover up his surprise. "Just… thinking."

And he _was_ thinking. But about Meatlug…

What if…

What if…

What if he snuck out to see her?

A swelling balloon of hope filled his chest. He could see his girl again! Just for a couple of minutes though… you know, to say hello… maybe get a little of her lava for the Gronckle iron… after all, he'd only be gone for a little while!

...yes! He would do it. Alright… time to set this plan into action!

"Uh, Hiccup?" he asked, trying to be casual.

Luckily, Hiccup was distracted with something and only glimpsed up. "Yes, Fishlegs?"

Fishlegs drummed his fingers on the table. "Well… I think something at my hut would really help with this. So, um, I think I'm going to grab it. Yes. Going to go grab… _it_ … so… bye."

He backed away from their work table with a nervous smile. When Hiccup returned it, though his was a little perplexed, Fishlegs darted away.

"Meatlug," he whispered as he ran outside. "Daddy's coming!"

* * *

Astrid was _fed_ up with Snotlout. He wouldn't stop going on about how great he was. How handsome he was. How much better he was. She'd like to pick him up and throw him back to Berk, but restrained herself… _I am calm… I am calm…_

But, the thing was, she wasn't. However, she knew she needed to be, or… well, that was bad news for Snotlout… hmm… what made her calm? What made her feel- relaxed?

The answer came immediately.

 _Stormfly._

Taking a flight on her Nadder always made her feel one thing she could never or rarely experience on land: at peace.

And she needed to feel that right now.

"Snotlout?" she cut in the boy's monologue titled, "My Great Deeds."

Snotlout glanced over. "Yeah, babe?"

Astrid's hands clenched.

 _Stormfly, Stormfly, think of Stormfly… calm… peaceful… happy…_

"I'm done with training," she replied. "So I'm leaving."

"You- oh. Alright. Okay. Well, then- see you later." He winked. "We all know you can't stay away from all of _this_."

Astrid's grip tightened on her axe, her fingers tingling to just heft it up and swing it. "Yeah. Let's go with that."

She tossed her weapon to the side and ran out of the training area. Oh, how she needed some peace right now… _Stormfly_ … the thought of Snotlout… oh, boy, she really needed her dragon right now.

* * *

 _What_? Snotlout thought, angry.

Astrid couldn't just leave him like this! He had had a _plan_. Woo Astrid over with talk of his truly amazing feats. And it had seemed to be working… until she suddenly got all tense and quiet and left. Hmm… he needed to get her attention… what usually got girls' attention?

His head snapped up.

Being _macho._

Not that he wasn't already macho. He was. But he needed more of it… he needed to show that he was in charge. That he was a _leader_.

A smirk crept to his lips.

"Oh, _Hookfang_ …!"

* * *

"Er- guys?" said Hiccup peeking around the corner. "Where'd everyone go?"

It had been ten minutes since Fishlegs had left. Hiccup had thought it was strange that he never came back and gone to check it out. And he was glad he did. Because _no_ one was left.

His mind raced. Had the Dragon Hunters somehow sneaked inside and kidnapped them? Were his friends in danger? Had he failed them? Panic ran through his head… oh, Thor, what was he supposed to do…?

 _Get Toothless_ , he thought with a nod. _And the other dragons. I'm just a one-legged Viking with a lot of stupid plans without my dragon._

His mind made up, he cast one last look around the Edge, then ran down the steps in front of the Clubhouse.

 _Don't worry, guys… I'll find you…_

* * *

Turns out, the other dragons were bored, too. A few missed their riders. Well, everyone except Hookfang, who was enjoying the peace of not having Snotlout yell at him to do something.

 _Perhaps we could go back to our riders_ , Stormfly offered to the others, _to cure our boredom._

Meatlug's eyes shone. _Yes, yes, yes- great idea, Spine-thrower!_

Hookfang shifted his wings. _I don't know… the boy, Snotlout, can be overbearing._

Toothless sat up. _I, too, would like to go. I feel uneasy without my rider._

Barf lifted his head. _That's only because you-_

 _-can't fly by yourself_ , finished Belch.

 _No,_ Toothless shot. _What if our riders are in trouble? You know how much they need us. They could be in all kinds of danger… Lava-spew, think of your boy, Fishlegs, in peril. Spine-thrower, what about that girl you so dearly love? Green-heads, I know you have a bond with those twins of yours. And, Fire-flame, would you still be so unwilling to go see Snotlout if his life was in jeopardy?_

The dragons pondered Toothless's questions.

Stormfly flapped her wings. _I am going to my girl, no matter what._

 _But the leader boy, Hiccup, did say we were supposed to stay away_ , Hookfang tried. _By doing that, we'd be disobeying our… our masters._

The group was not impressed.

 _Since when do you ever listen to a human?_ scoffed Toothless. _It's settled. Say 'scales' if you agree to go find your riders with me._

 _Scales_ , chorused all of the dragons except Hookfang.

The Nightmare finally growled, _Fine._ _But only for a little while._

Toothless smiled gummily. _Sure._

They all knew that wasn't true.

* * *

"Well- it was all Ruff's idea!" Tuff shoved his sister in front of him. "Take her. She's the naughty little troublemaker… sneaking out against the _king_ 's wishes..." He wagged a disapproving finger at Ruff, who sighed in frustration..

Hiccup smiled a little. "No, no… it's fine… we _all_ broke the rules… still, of which, I'm very disappointed. I thought that we were better than this."

It hadn't been long until the riders had all bumped into each other on their journies. First, Ruff and Tuff had found Astrid, then Snotlout, and then Fishlegs. And finally, Hiccup had stumbled upon them a few minutes later. Everyone was ashamed, but also amused. They knew they really were that helpless.

"Well," said Fishlegs. "At least our dragons obeyed Hiccup-"

No sooner than the words had come out of his mouth, they all heard rustling in the trees. Then a _thump_ , like something heavy was walking around.

Snotlout whimpered, "What was that?"

He noticed Astrid's irritated look, and straightened in response. He made his voice grow stronger and more confident.

"I mean… huh, what's that? 'Cause… 'cause I'm gonna kill it for you, babe. Yup. Since I'm so awesome. And I can kill… yup."

The brush rustled again, and the riders tensed.

Hiccup glanced around. "Guys… we don't have our dragons… whatever this is, we're going to have to fight it off ourselves. Are we ready?"

"Yes," said Astrid, Fishlegs, the twins, and Snotlout.

"I said; are we ready?"

" _Yes_!"

Hiccup nodded. "Then, let's- oh, gods! Thor... of _course_..."

Toothless had just jumped out of the trees. He wore a huge grin and shining eyes.

"Toothless! You weren't supposed to- agh!"

The Night Fury had knocked over his rider to his back and started to swat him playfully. The others laughed at the scene.

When Toothless was finished, Astrid smiled mournfully. A pang hurt her heart. "This… this all makes me wish that… oh, _Stormfly_!"

One by one, the other riders' dragons appeared, starting with Stormfly. They reunited with hugs and hearty laughs. Even Snotlout gave Hookfang a comforting pat and a muttered, "Missed you too, Fangster…"

Hiccup held up his hands to quiet everyone down- and to get Ruff and Tuff to stop trying to blow them all up.

"Alright, alright- settle down, guys. I've got an announcement."

When the riders and their dragons all silenced, Hiccup began to pace. Toothless sat nearby and watched in interest.

"Everyone here went against the rules," started Hiccup, sending a displeased look over his friends. "You disobeyed my orders. Sneaked out with permission, and made me worry that something had happened. Thor- at first I thought you guys had been kidnapped by the Dragon Hunters. Riders. We need to be honest with each other… and listen to what we all have to say. I'm not happy with anybody's actions.

"But," he continued at everyone's dispirited countenances, "I did the same thing… and I can't blame you. Our dragons are amazing. Powerful. Dangerous. Equipped. And most of all, our best friends. It was wrong to separate us all like that, and I'm sorry."

Snotlout looked around in disbelief. "Did dragon boy just apologize? Woah! Hookfang, you remember this the next time you're all high and mighty." The Nightmare snorted, rolling his eyes.

Hiccup came up to Toothless, who regarded him with cautious eyes.

"I guess I was right," said Hiccup. "We really can't survive without you guys…"

A smile broke through his face, and he knelt in front of his Night Fury.

"But… is that such a bad thing?"

Toothless cooed. The answer was clear.

No, it wasn't. Because dragons had become the riders lives. They were their friends. Their comfort. Their family. They were Dragon Riders, after all. And what good were Dragon Riders without dragons?

* * *

 **NO GOOD, THAT'S WHAT. You couldn't even climb down a TREE, Hiccup, for Thor's sake!**

 **Well... another story finished. *sniffs* Thank you guys for sticking with me through this! I hope you all liked it, and THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH FOR EVERYTHING. Your feedback, likes, and follows mean SO MUCH to me. THANK YOU.**

 **Farewell, ADWD... until the next story or one-shot!**

 **Thank you, everyone, for viewing, reviewing, favoriting, or following. LOVE YOU GUYS.**

 **And, as I ALWAYS say(what is it with me, I know)...**

 **Until the next story!**


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